Carriage-bearing for type-writing machines.



No. 807,292. PATENTED DEC; 12, 1905.

E. G. LATTA.

CARRIAGE BEARING FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15.1904.

i i i J I wizrzarsaax- I M Zkl w WM 5 WW W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMMIT G.'LATTA, OF FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARVEY A. MOYER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

CARRIAGE-BEARING FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Original application filed July 6, 1904, Serial No. 215,246. Divided and this application filed October 16 1904. Serial No. 228,571.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMMIT G. LATTA, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Friendship, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Bearings for Type- Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guide and supporting bearings for the laterally moving platen-carriages of type-writing machines,and

has for its object to provide a self-adjusting ball-bearing of simple, eflicient, and desirable construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a platen-carriage and its supporting-frame provided with aball-bearing embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation, on an en larged scale, of the carriage-bearing. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section in line 3 3, Fig. 4, showing the bearing partly in front elevation and partly in section. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the carriage and supportingframe, portions of the race-bars being broken away.

A represents the platen-carriage of a typewriting machine, and B the supporting-frame, on which the carriage moves laterally or horizontally and from which it projects forwardly, as shown in Fig. 1.v The carriage may be of any suitable construction, and the supportingframe may constitute a part of the main frame of the machine or may be a movable-carriage shift-frame, as described in my application for United States Letters Patent flied July 5, 1904, Serial No. 215,246, of which this case is a division. The carriage preferably consists of end bars or pieces a, connected by a front cross-rod a and a rear cross-bar C, which constitutes a race bar or part of the carriage-. bearing.

D represents a bar or strip which is secured to the front part of the supporting-frame B by screws (Z or otherwise and constitutes the stationary race bar or part of the bearing. It preferably consists of a strip of sheet-steel bent into the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 2 and hardened, having in its front portion a groove d, in which runs a front set of bearing-balls or rolling bearing members E, and a rear portion which extends upwardly and projects forwardly, forming a bearingflange dflwhich bears on top of a rear set of bearing-balls or rolling bearing members E. The rear cross-bar or race-bar (l of the carriage is also preferably formed of a hardenedsheet-steel strip of the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 2, having at its front portion a down wardly-facing grooved portionf, which bears on and forms the upper half of the race for the front row of balls E, and an upwardlyfacing grooved rear portion f which extends under and bears against and forms the lower portion of the race for the rear set of balls. The weight of the carriage, which extends forwardly from the bearing, causes its racebar 0 to bear downwardly on the front set of balls and upwardly on the rear set of balls, the latter being thus held up against the overhanging flange (Z of the stationary race-bar. The two sets of balls, which are located in substantially the same horizontal plane, form an antifriction-bearing, on which the carriage moves with the minimum friction, and as the weight of the carriage always maintains both sets of the balls in contact with the stationary race-bar D no adjustment is necessary to compensate for wear in the bearing. This construction, furthermore, avoids the excessive friction often caused in carriage-bearings as commonly made by a too close adjustment of the parts. Each set of balls runs in a groove on the movable race-bar G of the carriage, while only the front set runs in a groove in the stationary race-bar D, the other set simply resting against the plain surface of the flange 0Z or, in other words, the balls of one set have four points of contact, while those of the other set have but three points of contact, with the result that the balls of the latter set are enabled to take a bearing against whichever part of the plain surface may be necessary to give perfect freedom of movement. Opposable grooves for both sets of balls answer well when new, if perfectly made; but the construction above described obviates the necessity for extreme exactness in manufacture and is better than two pairs of opposable grooves to compensate for unequal wear.

The balls are prevented from escaping from the races by suitable means, such as lips or flanges g g, which are provided at the ends of the carriage and supporting-frame, respectively, and project toward each other at the ends of the ball-races. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

The balls are prevented from bunching in either end of the races by stops g of any suitable form, which extend into the central parts of the races in the paths of the balls.

The carriage is prevented from being detached from the supportingframe except when moved to a predetermined position, preferably by a hook H, which is secured to the central frontportion of the supportingframe and overhangs a forwardly-projecting lip h on the race-bar G of the carriage. The hook H is not in actual contact with the lip ii on the carriage and does not in any wise hinder the free movement of the carriage, but serves to prevent the accidental displacement of-the carriage. The lip h is notched at one end-for instance, the right end at ii, Figs. 3 and Jr-and when this notch is brought opposite to the hook H by moving the carriage to the extreme of its movement to the left the carriage can be tilted up and detached from the supporting-frame when disconnected from its driving spring barrel. (Not shown.) It can be replaced with equal facility. When the carriage is removed, the balls remain in place on the stationary race-bar D and the carriage is readily replaced by engaging the rear edge of its race-bar C under the rear set of balls while the carriage is in an inclined position, and then lowering the carriage onto the front set of balls.-

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a carriage provided with a race part, an opposing race part, and two sets of rolling bearings arranged between said race parts one in front of the other which constitute the sole support for the carriage, each of said race parts having a portion which bears downwardly on one set of bearings and upwardly on the other set of bearings, substantially as set forth.

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a laterally-movable carriage, of two sets of balls on which the carriage runs, a racebar for the balls connected to the carriage and having an upwardly-facing bearing at its rear, and a downwardly-facing bearing at its front, and an opposable race-bar for the balls having an upwardly-facing bearing at its front and a downwardly-facing hearing at its rear, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a movable carriage,

of a ball-bearing guide therefor, comprising two sets of balls, and a two-part race for the balls, each race part havinga portion resting under one set of balls and a portion resting over the other set of balls, the race for one set of balls consisting of opposable grooves, and that for the other set of balls consisting of a groove and an opposable plain surface, substantially as set forth. I. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a laterally-movable carriage and platen, of a ball-bearing guide and support for the carriage, comprising two sets of balls arranged in rear of the platen in substantially the same horizontal plane, and ball-races arranged to support the carriage by downward pressure on the front set of balls and upward pressure on the rear set of balls, substantially as set forth.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a laterally-movable carriage and platen, of a ball-bearing guide for the carriage comprising two sets of balls arranged at one side of the platen in substantially the same horizontal plane, and forming the sole support for the carriage, and a race part bearing downwardly on one set of balls and upwardly on the other set of balls, whereby the weight of the carriage retains the parts in proper adjustment, substantially as set forth.

6. In a type-writing machine, the combination with a laterally -movable carriage and platen, of a ball-bearing guide and support comprising two sets of balls arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane in rear of the platen, the balls forming the sole support of the carriage and platen, and being adjustable for wear by the action of gravity alone, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 12th day of October, 1904.

EMMIT .G. LATTA.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. RICE, H. L. BLossou 

